Is Facebook Anti-Breastfeeding?

Facebook removed this picture. Psst, it's a BABY, not a boob.One of my favorite breastfeeding support groups, The Leaky B@@b, was removed from Facebook last week. It went back up that evening, and we cheered. Then it was pulled down again. Right as we all started to freak out, it was back up again! So far so good. *crossing my fingers*

Facebook says, "It was a mistake."

Just this week, a natural childbirth photographer, breastfeeding support groups, and individual moms' pages were taken down. Seriously, what is going on, Facebook?!

It's no secret that some people have problems seeing a woman breastfeeding -- in person or in photos. My friend Melanie and fellow writer for one of my personal blogs had a nursing picture collage deleted this week. Sadly, her profile is private, meaning it could have only been reported by someone on her list marked as a "friend." The only nipple visible in the pictures is that of her baby's. Ooh, so damn scandalous.

Bring Back Denver Doula is dedicated to restoring the profile of a doula who lost her page, with the same form message that The Leaky B@@b received. ~Bring Back Earthly Motherhood!~ is in support of an Australian community of support for naturally-minded moms. Again, same form letter.

The inconsistency is mind-boggling. Some women and groups have had tons of pictures deleted, and occasionally they DO break Facebook's terms ... but not often. But then they turn around and delete the entire accounts of women who were not breaking the written rules? How can we follow the rules if they don't follow them?

The Leaky B@@b, by the way, was only restored after Jessica Martin-Webber went on the news and spoke about the issue. In another case, that of Laura Eckert, a birth photographer, the news also picked up the story and again was told, "Oops, it was an accident."

Our reviewers look at tens of thousands of pieces of content a day that are reported to them and take action according to our policies, which are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe and trusted environment for everyone, including the many children (under the age of 13) who use the service. Of course, we make an occasional mistake. This is an example. When this happens, and it’s brought to our attention, we work quickly to resolve the issue. In this case, we restored the Page and reactivated the accounts of the people who were impacted. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this mistake caused.

Side note: Kids under 13 aren't allowed on Facebook, they meant "over 13." How come The Leaky B@@b page went down, back up, down again, back up again, and suddenly other similar accounts entirely are dropping like flies, but borderline-pornographic pages and pictures that still meet the terms by the skin of their teeth don't disappear even after being reported? I'd much prefer the teen crowd see babies being fed naturally than sexual images on the screen. Or, you know, having my kid see something like this, which IS acceptable by Facebook, and unlike many women's profiles, is actually viewable to the public, from one of the many, MANY groups dedicated to big boobs:

Sorry, just not quite grasping this ... this picture, belonging to Emma Kwasnica, founder of Eats on Feets, was offensive enough to remove?

All I can figure is their folks must spend so much time focused on looking at the porn that gets reported that they delete anything that doesn't get them their jollies.

By the way, if you've gone on a "reporting" rampage, trying to report anything you find offensive but that still doesn't break the terms, don't. It doesn't help anything, and is yet another report on something that might not be everyone's ideal picture, but is still allowed under their rules. Don't stoop to that level.

Do you think this is merely mistake and coincidence, or there really is a huge issue with Facebook and breastfeeding moms?